Valtterri Bottas has left Williams to join Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the 2017 season

“Lewis has already said he gets along well with Bottas, which probably means he hasn’t been challenged by him.

“But every sportsman has his peak and if he doesn’t stop there will be a decline at some point.

“Maybe Hamilton’s met his match, we don’t know. Evidence of Bottas at Williams suggests he’s not at Hamilton’s level.

“But former Lotus boss Peter Warr once said Nigel Mansell would ‘never win a Grand Prix as long as I have a hole in my arse’, and he went on to win a lot!

“He got himself into an exceptional car and went on to win a world championship. Maybe Bottas is suddenly going to appear as this winning machine that nobody saw coming, including Hamilton.”

Channel 4 is the home of free-to-air Formula 1 in the UK with live coverage of 10 Grand Prix this season and comprehensive highlights of every race weekend. You can watch the Highlights of the Australian Grand Prix on Channel 4 from 2pm on 26th March.